The Norway Rat
A Norway rat will not only invade your house but will eat away household items and contaminate surroundings. The following details will help you identify this species of rats.
HOW TO IDENTIFY NORWAY RATS
Appearance
Norway rats are large, brown or grey-colored rats which have huge mass and weigh around 500 grams. These rats are around 16 inches long. The average tail size of a Norway rat is around 8 inches. They have shaggy fur and their ears and tail are also covered with scales.
Behavior
Norway rats live in the lower elevations of a building and exist near people. Therefore, they are generally found in and around residences. Norway rats, like roof rats, can climb but prefer to live in the lower portions of the buildings. The Norway rat makes their nests by burrowing structures and buildings and prefers places with near water sources.
They use these underground burrows to make their way to garbage bins, silos, livestock space and even under concrete slabs. They eat away almost anything that’s available because of their omnivorous nature.
Though they aren’t an entirely social species, Norway rats live in communities and have dominant and subordinate rat members.
Signs
The most common sign to detect the presence of Norway rats is locating their droppings. They produce round, large, 7-8 inches long droppings, which can easily be located on their pathways. Their droppings are scattered around the food sources they regularly munch.
Rub marks or grease stains across walls and edges indicate the presence of Norway rats. This is because they rub the surface with their fur while traveling back and forth. Grease and dirt on their fur leave marks on the surface.
Moreover, if you find gnaw marks on food items or burrows around the house or building, these point towards a potential rodent problem.